On June 16, 1997, U.K. rock band The Verve released the single \u201cBitter Sweet Symphony\u201d, which went on to hit No. 2 in the U.K. and No. 12 in the U.S. It became the band\u2019s biggest hit and won several awards, including Songwriter of the Year for Richard Ashcroft at the 1998 Ivor Novello Awards.<\/p>\n
But despite the song\u2019s popularity and award-winning writing, The Verve wasn\u2019t credited and didn\u2019t receive royalties<\/a> for more than 20 years. That\u2019s because \u201cBitter Sweet Symphony\u201d included a sample from the 1966 Rolling Stones track \u201cThe Last Time\u201d. <\/p>\n They had permission from Decca Records to use the orchestral arrangement by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, which accompanied the Stones. But The Verve allegedly failed to get permission from Allen Klein, the Rolling Stones\u2019 former manager and head of ABKCO Records. ABKCO owned the actual composition as opposed to just the recording, like Decca.<\/p>\n So, Klein filed a lawsuit against The Verve before \u201cBitter Sweet Symphony\u201d was set to be released. Klein refused to sign off on the sample, claiming the band used more of the original song than agreed upon. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger didn\u2019t want to get involved in the dispute, and eventually The Verve were forced to give up all royalties. \u201cBitter Sweet Symphony\u201d was credited to Jagger\/Richards instead of Richard Ashcroft. But, according to The Verve guitarist Nick McCabe, the sample actually had nothing to do with the Rolling Stones.<\/p>\n The Verve Weren\u2019t Credited On Their Own Hit Song for More Than 20 Years<\/p>\n